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The incredible life of Anderson Cooper: How the son of an heiress became America's favorite news anchor
The incredible life of Anderson Cooper: How the son of an heiress became America's favorite news anchor
Jun 28, 2019, 21:09 IST
Anderson Hays Cooper was born in New York City on June 3, 1967.
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He was born as the second son of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt, a well-known designer, railroad fortune heiress, and socialite.
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In addition to her famous last name, Vanderbilt came to be known for her creative prowess through art, writing, and design.
Because of his family's place at the top of New York City society, Cooper grew up in the public eye.
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Tragedy first struck the family when Cooper was 10. His father died in January 1978 while undergoing open heart surgery.
After his father died, Anderson and brother Carter were often pictured alongside their mother at public appearances.
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Cooper went on to attend the exclusive K-12 Dalton School before studying journalism at Yale University, from which he graduated in 1989.
Cooper interned at the CIA while searching for an on-air gig after graduation.
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Tragedy struck the family again when his then-21-year-old brother Carter committed suicide in front of their mother when he went over the balcony of her high-rise Manhattan apartment.
Cooper and his mother have both pointed to Carter's death as bringing them closer together.
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After graduation, Cooper struggled to find an on-air reporting gig and instead invented his own.
After nearly four years as an international correspondent for Channel One, Cooper joined ABC as a reporter in 1995.
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At ABC, Cooper led reports from all over the world before assuming a co-anchor role on the network's "World News Now."
Taking a hiatus from news that he later blamed on the thankless schedule, Cooper hosted the ABC reality show "The Mole," but left to return to news after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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In 2001, Cooper joined CNN as a weekend anchor before moving to a primetime role in 2003 after the Iraq War.
On September 8, 2003, Cooper made his debut as host of "Anderson Cooper 360°."
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Cooper led the network's coverage of several important events, including the 2004 presidential election.
He became a familiar on-air fixture as he rubbed shoulders with several big names during the race as he emerged as a prominent voice in the political arena.
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Major news moments like former President Ronald Reagan's June 2004 death also gave Cooper time at the front of the network.
It was his on-air reporting in the September 2005 aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that launched him to a household name as he provided emotional accounts of the devastation in New Orleans.
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Cooper's empathetic reporting was so widely watched it was mocked on "Saturday Night Live."
In May 2007, Cooper released his book, "Dispatches from the Edge" that chronicled his experiences reporting from war zones.
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As he garnered professional success, Cooper maintained a relatively private personal life before coming out as gay in 2012.
During his time at CNN and as a correspondent for CBS's "60 Minutes," Cooper scooped up 16 Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and an Edward R Murrow Award.
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Another of Cooper's regular gigs includes hosting "New Year's Live," where he's entertained viewers since 2003.
Cooper became a regular fixture on the program alongside Kathy Griffin while the two were co-hosts for 10 years before Griffin's dramatic exit after a controversial photo shoot with President Donald Trump's bloodied head.
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Griffin was later replaced by friend and Bravo personality Andy Cohen.
In 2016, Cooper released a book he wrote with his mother that offered personal reflections on their close relationship.
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As the 2016 campaign heated up, Cooper was at the front of coverage on key moments like real-estate tycoon Donald Trump's emergence as a Republican presidential candidate.
Cooper was selected in 2016 to co-moderate one of the three debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
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Outside of his reporting duties, Cooper has established a celebrity identity while appearing at events like New York Fashion Week alongside famous friends, including actress Sarah Jessica Park and Cohen.
In 2011, he was honored with a wax lookalike, cementing his status among the world's most recognizable celebrities.
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Cooper even made appearances on Cohen's "Watch What Happens Live," once accompanied by his mother.
The anchor came to be one of Trump's top critics, often taking aim at the administration during the "Keeping Them Honest" segment of "AC360."
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In what is arguably Cooper's most memorable segment to date, he memorialized his mother who died on June 17, 2019 at the age of 95.